


The one to heal a heart

by Rogercat



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Cooking, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Bonding, Finduilas Is Gil-galad, Gen, Genderfluid, Identity Swap, Married Couple, Memories, Rebirth, Third Age, Valinor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:13:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21802717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rogercat/pseuds/Rogercat
Summary: Sometimes she is Finduilas, the former princess of Nargothrond. Other times, it is Gil-galad who Gwindor spends time with
Relationships: Finduilas Faelivrin & Orodreth | Artaresto, Finduilas Faelivrin/Gwindor, Orodreth | Artaresto/Orodreth's Wife
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12
Collections: Tolkien Secret Santa 2019





	The one to heal a heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [esmeraldablazingsky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/esmeraldablazingsky/gifts).



Sometimes being in a new body was… 

Well, Finduilas could not put a finger on the right term. But strange seemed to be a good word. It was strange to be back in a living body of flesh and blood, after being a spirit for so long. And the old battle scars, the ones she had gained as Gil-galad, were no longer there. Her skin was unmarred, her body no longer having the strength he had grown used to. 

But it was not that which gave her problems this early in the morning and made it difficult to move her body. Rather, it was the phantom pain from when she had found her death by Sauron. The aim towards her throat, how she had tried to move her head backwards so the strike instead landed against her chest...

“Finduilas?” 

Gwindor had woken up in the other side of the bed, feeling the distress from her though the marriage bond between their souls. 

“Phantom pains...a little hard to move…” 

“Oh, one of those days?”

Of course Gwindor would be familiar with phantom pains, he had suffered from it after his years as a slave in Angband, the last few years of life in Nargothrond had not been easy on his broken body and Finduilas could even recall how it had been at his return, how his fever from the long journey back to Nargothrond in the middle of freezing winter had been so horribly bad that Gwindor ended up bedridden for days.

She had feared to lose him in those seven days which had passed before the fever broke, for Gwindor had barely the strength to eat an mild-favoured yet nutritious soup made with medicinal herbs. 

“Tell if I am too rough.” 

“No, it is I who can barely stand because my legs tremble so much at the moment.” 

With his help as support, Finduilas managed to get over to the bathroom. Once the more pressing matter had been dealt with, he could help her washing her body. The warm water helped a little bit, and she felt a lot better. 

“Much better, right?” Gwindor smiled, taking the chance to give her a light massage as well. 

“Yes, though I think this day will be best spent out in the warm sun on the balcony.”

The promising warm day would help with the phantom pains, and it was enjoyable to be outside in such nice weather too. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Today Gwindor made breakfast for them both, and they enjoyed it on the balcony, the view was lovely in the summer season. 

“I am a little sad that the phantom pains will prevent us from having that training duel we spoke to have today.” 

Finduilas had always been a active she-elf, even long before the Fall of Nargothrond and her becoming Gil-galad, be it horsemanship, dancing or just plain walks in high speed. This had been one of the things about her that had caught Gwindor's eyes, long before they had fallen in love. 

“Even on days such as today when you have to take it easy, I have always enjoyed how you always are so filled with energy.” 

Finduilas blushed of happiness when he said that, knowing how that was something about herself that had never vanished, no matter if she saw herself as the daughter of Orodreth or as the sixth and last High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth. 

“Maybe that energy can be used tomorrow, then?” 

That sounded promising, indeed. 

  
  


Given the changed plans for the day, they instead chose to plan about what to serve as food when her parents came on visit in a few days. The former cooks of Nargothrond had all been reborn and, knowing what once had been the favorite dishes of Finrod and his brother family, had surprised Finduilas and Gwindor with a cookbook with all the recipes inside. 

“Shall we try this goat meat recipe as the main dish? One of Uncle Finrod's favorite dishes from the Dwarves, but I am not sure if all the herbs have an equivalent here in Valinor...” Finduilas suggested, as they tried to choose a meny. Gwindor was not so sure about it, and he flipped through the book to find possible alternatives. 

“It is exactly the herbs that makes me want to choose something else. We both are reborn since several centuries, but it is hard to know whatever we will be able to find the equivalents here in Valinor.”

They ended up having a mild disagreement, which was not anything dramatic for them as a couple. No one could live in peace with a spouse all the time, that kind of problem-free relationship was impossible and only belonged in innocent daydreams. 

“Or shall we use some form of bird dish, then?” 

In the end, they finally managed to choose a good set of two dishes on the menu to serve to their guests, one with chicken in a herb sauce and boiled potatoes as the main dish and a strawberry dessert to eat afterwards. After all, it was summer so something light was always enjoyed at this time of the year. And strawberries was a big favorite of Orodreth and Calen, that was a important detail about his parents-in-law that Gwindor always paid attention to since he wanted to be a good spouse for their only daughter and a good example of a son-in-law despite the mistakes he once had done in the past. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X

On the day Orodreth and Calen arrived, they saw at once that there was something slightly different with Finduilas. It was the way she had set up her hair in a high ponytail, and dried it into a darker brown colour, along with borrowing a robe from Gwindor. 

“Ah, you felt for being our  _ yónya _ for a while instead of  _ yelya _ , Gil-galad?” Orodreth asked gently, using the Quenya names for son and daughter as he always had done in the First Age so Finduilas would learn some basic Quenya from childhood. By addressing her now as Gil-galad, he showed respect for that his daughter saw that part of her identity as equivalent to the one she had been born as, a princess of the House of Finarfin. 

“Yes, father,” Gil-galad responded, bowing his head before finding himself caught in a hug from Calen. 

“My fearsome little spear-wearing scion of kings,” she smiled gently, as Orodreth joined in the family hug. Gwindor was always happy to see how his parents-in-law had accepted their daughter's past as the last High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth, and done a very good job at staying alive for so long.

Suddenly, Orodreth felt a strange smell, as if something was burning. 

“Um...do you happen to have something in the oven?” 

Both Gil-galad and Gwindor had a mirrored look of horror on their faces when they realized what was happening. 

“ _ The chicken! _ ” 

As the younger couple rushed off to the kitchen in a desperate attempt to save main dish of the planned dinner, the second son of Finarfin and his Sindarin wife looked at each other fondly. 

“I think it was a good idea to buy a whole, already stuffed and fried chicken from the butchery, just in case something did happen here during our visit.” 

“Aye, and we could have offered it as part of the food tomorrow otherwise, if this had not happened.”

Their daughter and son-in-law was good cooks even if they did have a few servants to help out in the household and personally cooking food for parents or parents-in-law was viewed as a important part of treating them with respect, but accidents while cooking also happened to the best chefs. 

At hearing the distressed wail of Gil-galad from the kitchen, followed by Gwindor attempting to explain that the dinner was not completely destroyed due to the chicken being burnt, Calen brought out the picnic box in which she had been carrying the brought children as a surprise for her daughter and son-in-law. 

“Get your small glass bottles with dried and fresh herbs from that bag you are always carrying along in your belt, darling, we will help them with dinner tonight.”

Orodreth smiled at his wife, and did as she requested before they went to the kitchen together to help out. Their daughter and son-in-law had enough trouble at the moment as it was, trying to find a way to save the planned meal. 

  
  


Thankfully the meal could indeed be saved by the chicken Orodreth and Calen had brought. Together with boiled vegetables and a sauce served to apple cider, it became a pleasant meal for the two couples. 

“Celebrian is looking much happier since she first arrived here several years ago. It is understandable that she misses Elrond and her children, but the reunion with old friends and meeting relatives seems to help.” 

Orodreth had helped his niece with soothing teas and herbal medicines that would help her focus on more pleasant things in her memories instead of the horrible event that had led to her sailing to Valinor. Once Celebrian had realized why Finduilas felt so familiar, the two female cousins had spent nearly a whole week together just to talk about the past and what they wanted to do together now when it was possible. 

“Yes. We have just found a few things that is perfect for the house she hope to live in with Elrond when he arrives. It makes her happy to feel useful, that she is slowly returning into the Lady of Imladris despite that she is in Valinor,” Gil-galad commented with a smile. He had been worried for his much younger cousin after seeing how affected she was from her trauma, but it was calming to see how much she had recovered. 

They spoke a little more of the other family members that had been reborn in Valinor and living their own lives since that was what they had grown used to in Middle-earth, possible plans for the rest of this summer. 

  
  


That night, when they went to bed together in their bedchamber, Gwindor saw that Gil-galad was a little more quiet than normal. 

“You are missing Elrond and the other friends you made in the Second Age, those who are still alive.”

Finduilas could never really hide that from Gwindor, neither as herself or as Gil-galad. 

“Yes, but I feel comfort in knowing that one day, we will meet again.”

Nodding in agreement, Gwindor moved over so he could kiss Gil-galad on the cheek. Kisses on the mouth was something Finduilas liked for herself, while Gil-galad was a little more reserved about it. 

“Do you want to cuddle?” 

Their bodies moved closer below the quilt so two faces met across the pillows, their hands joining together. 

“Gwindor?”

Gwindor could hear on the way his name was asked, and see on the smile that Gil-galad had became Finduilas again for a few moments.

“Thank you for waiting on me all those years. In the Halls, I feared that I had changed too much by becoming Gil-galad for you to recognize me, and continue to want to be my husband after rebirth.” 

“You took me back with open arms after my time as a slave, despite how I had changed from it, nursed me back to health despite how long time it took for me to recover as much as I could, and you remained loyal by never marrying while being the High King of the Noldor. How could I not return that favor when you was the one who needed healing from someone you loved?” 

Finduilas felt truly emotional over his words, pulling Gwindor close for a hug as she could not find any fitting words to say. A such simple favor could mean so many things, indeed. And neither one regretted that they had found back to each other, in love and marriage. 

**Author's Note:**

> In this story Finduilas is genderfluid, meaning that she sometimes changes between being Finduilas and sometimes Gil-galad, but Gwindor remains the dearly beloved spouse no matter who she is and he accepts it as part of her personality. 
> 
> I tend to headcanon Orodreth as a scholar with a speciality in herbalism, and that it was this search for medicinal herbs in Middle-earth that caused him to meet his Sindarin wife, who is named Calen in my stories


End file.
